Santa Baca (Holy Cow, but that isnt a phrase here...) I'm in Honduras

                                                                      August 25,2014
Hey All,

I'M IN HONDURAS. Like for real. This is insane. Rule number one of Honduras, there are no laws in Honduras. None. Stops signs are literal jokes. One member said, ´I haven´t stopped at a stop sign in 6 days, but my record is 9.´

I´m in Olanchito, look it up. They have two branches Olanchito and Buena Vista. My companion is Elder Diaz, and he is the most kind man I have ever met. I honestly can´t even describe him to you. I love him to death. I'm in the same zone as Elder Saunders of the CCM, and Elder Gibbons is in my district. I am honestly so grateful for him. He keeps my spirits lifted and he´s super funny.

I have taught lots of lessons, experienced the high of obtaining a baptism date, and the low of the lady skipping out on church the next day. However, the most important thing is that I scored three goals in soccer Saturday night against Latinos. We played Gringos vs. Latinos. Latinos killed us, but I scored on an all Latin team. I was stoked, to say the least.

Our house smells really bad. I wish there was a better way to say it, but there isn´t. I have 6 pet lizards in my house, and my record for cockroaches killed in one night is 6. It would've been seven, but one cowardly one got out the door before I could squish him. I shower from a bucket with a bowl in a eeny shower. Water comes from a hole in the wall with the broken end of a broomstick shoved into it.

Our cocerina is amazing. She is so nice, and her food is amazing. Actually, all the food here is dope. "Dope" is word here, but only for mssionaries. So is "freaking", but no one uses it right. It´s absolutely hilarious. I can speak the language! but only that. I surprise people when I speak, because it takes so long for me to understand what they are saying. But once I know, I speak fast and clearly, and I even surprised our zone leader. I´m pretty pumped.

The lights go out about twice a day. Once around 10am and again around 6:30 pm. The sun goes down around 6, so when the lights go out at 6:30, we´re in for the night, which is kinda nice right now because even though I'm in the safest area of Honduras, safe is a relative term. I'm sure that will be more disappointing when I feel more comfortable. I love emails. Even short, dinky, "Hey Man, We miss you."

Anyways, that´s all my info for today. I love you all tons. I look forward to talking next week.

-Elder Aldrich

Giving Away the Book of Mormon

                                                                                                              August 12, 2014

Hey All,

So for all of you that were wondering, I leave the CCM at 3 in the morning next Tuesday. Get out a map really quick, because this makes me laugh. We ride in a bus from Guatemala City to San Salvador, El Salvador, then jump on a teeny plan to San Pedro Sula. The buss ride is 7 hours and the flight is four. They have to bus us to El Salvador because the planes in Guatemala are too big to land in the airport. My guess is it isn't even paved, so that'll be a pretty sick story.

So for my first update of the Week, I gave away two Books of Mormon with Elder Adams. Let me tell you, it absolutely terrifying. I actually seriously disliked it up until this guy accepted it and actually asked when we could tell him more. We took his address and gave it to the missionaries. The second time was better, but I was still terrified. I said a short prayer as we walked up asking for help with speaking, and my prayer was answered, but in an unexpected way. Elder Adams and I talked to this guy (or at least tried really hard) for like five minutes before we realized it wasn't gonna work. He spoke too quietly and we had no idea. Right as we were about to give up, a member walked up, and bore her testimony to this man and the Spirit was so strong! Now I'm not as terrified to talk to people because I know that we are out trying to help people find salvation, and God won't just let us fail.

Oh and our weekly total is 15.

We went to the market on Tuesday, and it was super cool. Elder Adams and I are seriously kicking butt with this whole Spanish thing. We talked to people and Elder Adams even negotiated with someone to get his bag for cheaper. Haha. We had Wendy's and I took a sweet picture of Elder Adams teaching Elder Cox how to give away Books of Mormon.

Ok, my companion is so awesome, he really deserves his own paragraph. This kid seriously works his butt off, talks to everyone, and pushes me to do even better than I already do. hahaha. I don't really have a ton to say about him, but it's worth mentioning that he's the man.

Finally, I'd like to end with a Spiritual thought. It isn't long, but it's something to think about. This Sunday we watched Zion's Camp, which is a super cool movie. Anyway, when they ask these guys who leads the camp, one boy steps out and says, "The God of Israel leads the camp." And that struck me. Along with my story about the lady, there are countless stories about miracles happening to help progress the work.Heavenly Father leads the Camp, and he leads the Missionary Effort. Whether you're on a mission or at home, if you try to spread the gospel, Heavenly Father will lead you through it somehow, and it probably won't be how you expect it.

Alright. I love you all, and I'm keeping you in my prayers. I love reading your emails.

Stay Strong,
Elder Caleb Aldrich

Learning the Language

     

                                                                                                       August 4, 2014
Hello All,

We are going to the Central Market tomorrow, and on a tour of the city, so I am on earlier than normal. 

First off, the Frat Casa is still a dump, but our district placed 6 Books of Mormon this week, so its worth how dumpy it is. The water only works every once and a while, and today it turned off when I was all soapy, so I smell extra soapy today. Also, I've stopped seeing bugs all together, which sounds good, but I'm pretty sure it just means that I'll get to meet the one eating all of the little spiders. And for the final comment on the Frat Casa, when we walked in on Friday night, we were welcomed by 15 of the most ancient people I have ever seen, all in their nicest garments. That was something I didn't want to see, and hope I never witness again.

I accidentally swore at my teacher during a lesson this week. Punto means point, but if you forget the N, its a no no word, so that was funny. Hermano Morales just laughed for fifteen minutes, so we ended and decided to try again later hahaha. Oh, and I would like to share the only 3 English phrases he knows.

1. Is important. It's and is are the same word for him, and he says this fifty times per day.

2. I tink is a good idea. "Th" is not a sound in Spanish, so he can't figure out how to say it. This is used only slightly less than is important,.

3. You need to help the persons, always. This is my favorite, not only because its important, but because its funny with his accent.

Oh, and he makes us pay him under the table with Peanut M&Ms which he just calls peanuts.

When we talk to Latinos from San Pedro Sula, they always apologize, then try their very hardest to explain ridiculous heat and gigantic spiders in broken English

Finally, I really hurt my back playing basketball on Saturday. Like, I could barely breath, and I could barely walk to the nurses office. Even she didn't know what to do. So she gave me some ibuprofen and some ice. After an hour of that not helping, I decided to have Elder Adams give me a blessing. It was so cool. I wish I could explain the Spirit in the room as he put his hands on my head and gave me a blessing. It immediately got better, and hasn't given me any problems since. 

Anyway, that's it for this week. I am so excited to finally get out of here so I can teach some people and send some pictures. I love you all so much.

-Elder Caleb Aldrich

Adventures at "Frat Casa"

                                                                                                July 29, 2014

Hello Everyone,
So first, we moved to the "Frat Casa." Fraternity in Spanish is Fraternidad, so we called our new apartment the Frat Casa. It's a dump, but it's nice to leave the CCM every day. I'm the designated cockroach killer, and I'm at 6, all of them massive. I practically need a mop afterwards to clean up the mess they make. I've found 4 spiders in my bed, and 2 have crawled out of my shirt, while I'm wearing it. I've adjusted quickly though, the scream the second time was quieter than the first! ;)

My companion is super ambitious, and it drives me nuts. My Spanish is now the best in our district, but I'm still not confident that I can properly portray what I want to say, so I let my companion talk. Listening to him is hilarious because he just fires out infinitives until the people nod like they understand. However, he managed to place a Book of Mormon on Thursday on the way to the CCM. I was pretty mad because he didn't take me; he took Elder Lessard instead without even giving me a shot. haha.

While I'm talking about mi compañero, I'll tell you a quick story.  So while we were teaching Ines, one of our new investigators about the Word of Wisdom, he accidentally committed her to live the Law of Chastity. Chastity in Spanish is Castidad, and Wisdom is S-something, so I have no idea how he did that but it was hilarious. And then yesterday while teaching Gabriel, Gabriel was telling us how he liked church, and explained he loved how everyone shook his hand and was friendly, and Elder Adams thought he said the members attacked him. He will get Spanish someday, but it won't be tomorrow. Hahaha

We got a new teacher. He used to play for a Guatemalan soccer team and on the Guatemalan national team, but when he got back from his mission, he decided he didn't want to play on Sundays, so he started teaching at the CCM. None of our teachers speak very good English, so it's hard to communicate at all sometimes because no one in the CCM can explain "hay," and neither can the dictionaries.

On Thursday during personal study, I was trying to memorize hymns that I could sing, and some Hermanas overheard me. They came and had me sing for them (which was super awkward) and they wrote down my name. Turns out they told Presidente and Hermana Cox about me, and you'll never guess who sang Joseph Smith's First Prayer (en Ingles) during sacrament meeting Sunday. It was awesome. The first verse was shaky, but then this super cool peace came over me, and I even got one of the nurses to cry. I'm pretty much the man now down here. haha, j/k, but it was super cool.

On Sunday morning, a lot of the guys were feeling really down, so we had a makeshift testimony meeting in one of the extra rooms. I shared my dad's "Work Hard, Play Hard, and Let the Rest Roll," and I had four of the seven kids tell me how helpful that was, and two wrote it on their planners as a reminder. I just thought that was cool.

Someone, anyone, please look up

Lluvia de peices (Rain of Fish) and send me some information on that. We have a running bet as to whether or not that exists.

Speaking of rain, it poured last night. Like, I was pretty sure people were drowning just by standing in it. It took out the power for a while, and when it came back on, it only stayed on long enough for us to get back to the Frat Casa. If they place wasn't creepy before, imagine 7 scared misioneros walking around with flashlights in the dark trying to get ready for bed. it was hilarious.

Anyway, I just want to close by saying how much I appreciate you all at home. I pray for you all every night and you're always in my thoughts. Send me a letter anytime. It takes s ten days to get here, so I'll get it if you send it within the next 8 days ;) It’s so cool when a missionary gets mail on a Friday out here. haha the address is

Elder Caleb Aldrich
Centro De Capacitacion Misional
Bulevar Vista Hermosa 23-71
Zona 15, Vista Hermosa 1
Guatemala City, Guatemala 01015

I love you all so much, and I can't wait to share all my great experiences with you.

-Elder Caleb Aldrich

Second group photo taken with the new incoming missionaries

On the Move

     

The picture of Caleb's group when they arrived at the CCM (The Guatemala MTC).
Caleb is on the top row, just left of center

                                                                                                           July 22, 2014

Hey Guys,

Thank you all so much for the emails. We are moving out of the CCM today because we are short 17 beds.  My district was chosen to move into some apartments next to the temple. Since the Guatemala Temple has been my favorite FOREVER, I'm stoked. However, we have to move in 30 minutes, so I will probably only have time for one mass email.

My companions name is Elder Adams. He's a stud, and we get along great. We actually taught a lesson yesterday so well that our investigator (our teacher) accepted a Book of Mormon and the challenge to be baptized in the second lesson, instead of the third like he was supposed to. He said that if he hadn't have accepted it wouldn't have been realistic because he could feel the Spirit so strongly when I bore my testimony IN SPANISH!!! Out of our 3 companionships, Elder Adams and I speak the best Spanish, but we still aren't fluent.  I think it’s because we pray harder than anybody each night. Like seriously, this kid prays like no other I have ever heard. It’s so cool.

On day one, they shaved my head, and took my camera. While they seem unrelated, my hair was so short, I wanted to send a picture, but I couldn't. Trust me, I looked ridiculous. My hair is back to a reasonable length now though. Mostly.

Our Latino roommates left for their missions this morning. They were so cool. They taught us so much, and I am so grateful for them.

We play basketball for deportes (sports) every morning. Don't worry. I still shoot rainbows, they still go in, but only once for every twenty shots. I do really well at knockout though.

Our teachers both served mission, Hermana Alvarado in Las Vegas, and Hermano Morales in Guadalajara. He baptized 35 people in one month there. He said that people sometimes baptize more in these missions down here. I’m so excited to teach and baptize.

Look up a video on YouTube. it’s called something along the lines of “ The Atonement in Missionary Work” or something. It makes me cry every time. But don’t tell anyone.

In Honduras there is a thing called Juevia de Peisces. When spelled correctly it translates to Rain of Fish. Look it up. I need to know if this is a real thing. Hermano Morales swears on his life it is.

We live next door to a sports bar that turns into a club on Saturdays. It was nuts. At midnight they had a fireworks show. Kids literally dropped to the floor thinking there was a gunfight going on outside. I was so freaked out I couldn't go back to sleep, and I almost fell off the top bunk. hahaha.

The CCM has already taught me so much. I sing constantly, and Elder Rietze sings for 40 minutes in my room with me each night. Before I could speak any Spanish, it was the only way I knew how to bring the Spirit before lessons because I couldn't understand the songs or prayers. I had to speak in church on Sunday (which was terrible, no matter what the Latinos say) and I told El Presidente afterwards that I would rather sing next time, haha.

Seth, when I play investigator for other companionships, I'm always Juan. Just for you.

I love it here, but I miss all of you so much. I can't wait to get out in the field so I can bless the lives of people and give them what we have. I know this letter has been super random, but I'm almost out of time. I love you all so much.

-Caleb

First Emails Home

We received our first emails from Elder Aldrich on Tuesday, July 15, 2014.

Dad,
My companions name is Elder Jackson Adams from Alpine, Utah. He’s a crazy hard worker. It’s like having Tyler here with me haha. But for real, I love him to death. We taught an investigator on day one and he killed it. Yesterday we taught him the entire first lesson and I spoke almost fluent Spanish for about 25 minutes. I could feel the spirit so strongly and Elder Adams and I went nuts after we left our investigator. He’s just our teacher, Hermano Morales, of course, but he agreed to be baptized the 26th of July. Our district is just the seven going to San Pedro Sula East. They are the coolest guys, but we only have seven because one boy left Friday morning. The food is amazing, and they alternate between Guatemalan and American foods. Sunday was church, then a video from Elder Bednar, then we kinda talked until we got a devotional from Presidente Cox. I write in fluent Spanglish in my journal now because Jesus Christ just comes out as Jesucristo, and companion comes out as companero. It rained on Saturday so hard we couldn’t see out the window, but there was no flooding. I couldn’t believe it. haha. I love you, Dad.
I wish I had more time to write, but I don’t cuz I still need to write mom. haha.

Mom,
I have a great story for you. When we got here, we took a three hour nap and I got up and took a shower. When I got back in from the shower, I got dressed and realized I had no socks AT ALL. I thought, "well crap. I’m gonna have to where the same pair of socks for two years." I went four days on socks my awesome companion let me borrow before I opened a pocket I had not noticed and found them! FOUR DAYS! only I could go four days without realizing that they were in my suitcase. My companion is awesome. His name is Elder Jackson Adams from Alpine Utah. He’s a few months older than me, but we get along great. I’m doing really well as far as the language goes. I’m praying hard and my testimony has already tripled. I’m speaking and writing fluent Spanglish, and I am having full on conversations with the Latinos in our room. The older kids are helping us out, accompanied by the occasional prank. Its really fun. Our district is made up of 7 kids going to my mission. All of them are great men, and even better misioneros. One boy did go home already on Friday morning. It was really a bummer, but it was great motivation to work even that much harder. The food is great, and they feed as half American, half Guatemalan meals. It rained on Saturday for several hours so hard that I was sure we were reliving the story of Noah. It definitely doesn’t rain like this in Vegas. There is a sports bar/club across the street we call the "Great and Spacious Building" and they were super loud during the World Cup Final. I love it here, but I miss you all so much. Tell my brothers that I love them in case I don’t have time to respond to all of them. I love you,
Mom....Caleb

Tradition of the Traveling Tie

Four score and seven years ago, give or take a few scores, John served a mission in the Italy Milan mission. While serving, John bought a tie at an Itallian market. It was one of his favorite ties.

As Caleb prepared to leave on his mission, he and his brothers decided that they wanted to take a tie that would travel with each one of them while they served their missions.  We pulled down a box that held a few of John's ties from his mission, and they chose one and annointed it the "Traveling Tie."

On July 8, 2014, Elder Caleb Aldrich boarded a plane headed to Guatemala City wearing the Traveling Tie.